View full sizeA portion of the website for the World Leisure Organization, which describes itself as "a worldwide, non-governmental association of persons and organizations dedicated to discovering and fostering those conditions best permitting leisure to serve as a force for human growth, development and well-being." The organization is going to hold its 2014 conference in Mobile, officials announced Monday, Nov. 15, 2010.

MOBILE, Alabama -- Mobile will host the 2014 Congress of the World Leisure Organization, joining the ranks of internationally known cities like Sao Paulo, Brazil; Cardiff, Wales; and Quebec City, which have hosted the event in years past.

Mobile will be the first U.S. city ever to host the conference, authorities said in a news conference this morning.

Christopher Edginton, secretary general of the organization, said Mobile was selected in part because of this Gulf of Mexico oil spill that crippled tourism along the Gulf Coast.

“We were up against stiff international competition to bring the World Leisure Congress here and to see those efforts payoff is exciting," said Leon Maisel, the president of the Mobile Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau.

"The World Leisure Congress is an ideal piece of convention and meetings business that will reap great benefits for all of the Mobile Bay area. The positive effect of a gathering of this magnitude will touch everything from hotels, retail shops, restaurants and more in our area.”

What do World Leisure members discuss?

During the World Leisure
Congress about 15 focused subjects will be approached, including topics such as: Work Life Harmonization, Leisure and Life Course, Cyber Leisure, Leisure
and Globalization, Leisure Behavior, Leisure and Society, Leisure and Tourism,
Leisure and Sports, Leisure and Culture, Leisure and Policy, Leisure and Gender,
Leisure Consumption and the Leisure Industry, Leisure and Technology/Science,
Leisure and Psychology.

Organizers look for cities that have strong potential leisure development, but would also benefit from the event itself, Edginton, said.

The conference will bring 4,500 visitors to the city for the week-long event, producing an economic impact of about $20 million, according to the Mobile Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau, which recruited the organization.

So just who are these people coming to Mobile? Basically, it's made up of people who think having leisure time and spending it well are crucial to society.

The organization describes itself as "a worldwide, non-governmental association of persons and organizations dedicated to discovering and fostering those conditions best permitting leisure to serve as a force for human growth, development and well-being."

Founded in 1952, World Leisure operates under the belief that access to meaningful leisure experiences "is no less than the need for shelter, education, employment and fundamental health care. Yet, improving the quality of life does not occur by chance. Rather it happens through the joint efforts of our policy makers, our leisure professionals, and our public and private sector program providers."